Monday, April 16, 2018

It’s a dog’s life...and that’s not so bad

Have you ever noticed all the pets running around in cozies mysteries? And most of them are cats! What the heck? How did that happen? Does a cat greet you at the door, get your slippers, clean the kitchen floor after you spill the bacon and eggs? No! Cats sniff, turn up their nose and prance off. Dogs have owners, Cats have staff!

Once upon a time I didn’t have such a great life so I ran away and took up living under Reagan Summerside’s front porch. Don’t know why I chose her. Maybe because at the time Reagan’s life in Savannah sucked almost as much as mine.

But she’s an okay gal, even shared her McNuggets and fries with me but kept the martinis all to herself. I mean to tell you I could do with a martini or two on these hot summer nights.

Reagan has a consignment shop on the first floor of her half-restored Victorian. She and her Auntie KiKi who lives next door were going to name me Calvin Klein to fit in with the upscale clothes she takes in. One look at my mangled left ear, crooked tail and scared snout not to mention my questionable linage and they knew I was much better suited as Bruce Willis.

Life is good right now. Reagan says I’m the worse watchdog on the planet but I sure do make a lot of friends. If I fake a limp I can usually finesse a cookie or two from the customers and if I sit in front of the fridge long enough I get my daily dog…hot dog that is. The warm fall days here in Savannah are just made for me snoozing on the porch and one day I can get a slurp of Reagan’s peach martini.

So what is your opinion on pets in mysteries? Paw up or down? Do they distract too much from the mystery? Do you like it when they have a point of view? Do you like cats or dogs best in a book? (That’s spelled d-o-g)

Let me know what you think and I’ll have Duffy donate one of her books to the library of your choice.

Definitely it's a DOG's world! :) Love having animals in cozies. I think they give it an extra bit of life and character. It's cute too to have them put in some mental notes from time to time while trying to help solve the cases. Bruce Willis sounds absolutely adorable and I'd love to get to read more about him in "Lethal In Old Lace" by checking out the book at my small town local library The Stone County Library in Mountain View, AR. (hint - hint)2clowns at arkansas dot net

I absolutely love any book with pets in it. Cats, dogs, birds, any animal in a bookshows the person is a kind considerate person too. It would be fun to see a book witheither a parrot or sloth in it. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

I like all the pets, but I guess I lean more on cats in cozies. They tend to be better at sneaking in areas more unnoticed.I believe our library already carries your books. FYI Madison Jefferson County library is celebrating it's 200th Anniversary tomorrow. Although not the original building, it's the oldest library in Indiana. jluebke@frontier.com

Oh pets in a cozy are my favorite. I most enjoy it when the pet is a pet. Now saying that, I do talk to my dog like a person, so that is ok. Dogs are my favorite, but any pet is good for me. My library would love any of your books. Really who wouldn't love any of your books! kayt18 (at) comcast (dot) net

Welcome

We are the characters--major and minor--who inhabit the pages of some of your favorite cozy mysteries.We're coming out from between the covers and welcoming you into our lives.So grab a nice cuppa, settle in, and learn what happens when our authors aren't looking.